EXPERIENCE AND IMPLEMENT FLOW OF VIRTUAL FIELD ARCHAEOLOGICAL
ENVIRONMENT #
Yang Lina, *, Sheng Ye-huab
a
Key Lab. of Virtual Geographical Environment, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046,
China - yangcius@126.com
b
Key Lab. of Virtual Geographical Environment, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046,
China - shengyehua@njnu.edu.cn
Commission IV, WG IV/4
KEY WORDS: Field Archaeology, Close-range Digital Photogrammetry, Data Model, Knowledge Base, Virtual Scene, Spatial
Decision-making and Supporting
ABSTRACT:
Virtual field archaeological environment involves many key technologies and implement flow, which mainly includes acquiring
automatically and quickly multi-resource spatial data and building data models and three-dimensional body visualization and
network cooperative interactive-working and building knowledge base and models base for field archaeological digging and
decision-making and so on.In the last two years, the author had some relative research and experience on archaeological data
management based on Geographical Information System (GIS) involving spatial data acquisition, three-dimensional GIS
visualization, cultural site analysis and estimation. Concretely, the author studied on: ① acquiring quickly field archaeological
spatial data, which includes data obtaining based on close-range digital photogrammetry by digital camera, with which the
archaeological mapping and three-dimensional data by projection from two-dimensional plane image maps all could be implemented
and get, and data acquisition for large site scene based on three-dimensional laser scanner; ②proposing the general data model of
field archaeology——hybrid 3D spatial data model based on facial model and volumetric model according to the classification of
stratum and geographical object; ③fusion and visualization of multi-resource data for field archaeological spatial data; ④ human
being and historical evolvement for region archaeology with the spatial and attribute data in different periods based on spatial
analysis; ⑤data mining based on spatial and attribute database with the relative arithmetic such as support vector machine, genetic
algorithms, fuzzy clustering, fuzzy reasoning etc.; ⑥archaeological data management system based on GIS, which took the example
of cultural relics along the Eastern Route Project of South-to-North Water Diversion and so on. All the above researches and
experience not only transformed the traditional mode of the mapping data capture in field archaeology, but also decreased greatly
the workload of the work on the premise of enough accuracy, realizing the transformation from manual mode to computer-aided and
information management and heightening the efficiency in data capture and processing and mapping and management, which is a
good base for information search of relics and the simulation and recurrence of archaeological environment and spatial analysis and
decision-making. This article sums up the work in the last years and puts forward the framework and implement flow of virtual field
archaeological environment based on the integration of the basic work available and the presentation of not only static objects, such
as tombs, but also dynamic processes, for instance sites migration and wireless working model which allows multi-users to operate
the same work from geographically distributed places collaboratively and spatial decision-making and support system etc.. The main
flow is as following:In the phase of the presentation and simulation of static objects and dynamic processes, building and integrating
the multi-resource data such as raster data and vector data, and data models based on database technology on a uniform platform.
Especially solve structure of data storage and 3D body visualization and the management and interaction of multi-resource data
models.Established the virtual archaeology geography environment based on LAN and wireless LAN by synthesizing the production
of Web GIS and three-dimensional GIS technique available as well as the international standard of distributed interactive technique.
The aim is to aid the study and research between field archaeology workers in different areas, and to provide a new environment for
long-distance expert consultation. The main key techniques of the contents are the research and implement on cooperation work,
long-distance supervise and expert consultation technique as well as the study of integration and multi-manipulation of virtual
archaeological environment system.In the phase of the spatial decision-making and supporting, the knowledge base and rule base
could be built based on the archaeological knowledge. At the same time, including the research on archaeological excavation and the
digging mechanism of time-space data, and the research on construction of the colony decision-making intelligence and the
mechanism of interact-working and so on. We can also save all of the intercommunion of the experts through internet, what’s more
analyzed and dig the knowledge of the experts. Then add all the digging knowledge into knowledge base to enrich and improve the
content, consequently enhance the intelligence level of the spatial decision-making and supporting system. The main target of this
study is to combine field archaeology spot with relevant cultural relic protection organizations and function branches, science &
research organizations by means of LAN & wireless LAN as a whole one, so as to establish and adjust important excavation projects,
and solve problems occurred at the field excavation spot, and increase the quality and level of the field work by using the
information of archaeology relic and experts' knowledge on the scientific environment and platform. And at the same time it makes
the simulated ancient circumstance more manipulable and be personally on the scene for the common visitors and audiences. As the
#
Supporting programs: National natural science program（40671147）
* Corresponding author:Yang Lin, email: yangcius@126.com
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current research base and the development of virtual geographical environment, the design of implement flow of virtual field
archaeological environment proves feasible.
1. INTRODUCE
As the most important and direct approach to acquire the firsthand archaeological data, field archaeology ensured the
research on archaeology. However, some defaults always
existed in the indagation and protection during the process:
excavating according to former experience in a closed
environment, the acquisition of the field data was based on
ordinary and simple surveying, the data were recorded in a 2D
(2 dimensions) method such as paper map and picture, which
went against the information sharing.
As an integration of geography, surveying, mapping and
computing, Geo-informatics technology is a good tool
providing people collection and management and analysis of
spatial information. The key technology GIS had been applied
widely to many fields e.g., E-government, city planning and
project management and so on. In the latest several years, GIS
began to be applied to archaeology in information management
and data acquisition and spatial analysis, and getting some
improvement.
Figure 1. General researching framework and flow of virtual
field archaeology environment
3. ACHIEVEMENTS
Although, there was few application of geographical
information technology in field archaeology in China, while
only commonly focused on the applying of some technique in
defect of systemic researching platform for field archaeology.
So, the author researched on building the virtual field
archaeology environment involving the data integration, 3D
visualization, knowledge base, data sharing and decisionmaking, which would increase the working efficiency and level
and provide a potent researching platform for field archaeology.
It is significative for advancing the level and modernization of
the protection of cultural relic.
3.1 Acquisition automatically and quickly of spatial data
based on digital photogrammetry
The author had implemented a method of applying digital
photogrammetry to field archaeology mapping by calibrating
the images achieved by digital camera to the orthophotos which
were used to directly get kinds of plot maps. The method could
not only transformed the traditional mode of the mapping data
capture in field archaeology, but also decreased greatly the
workload of the work on the premise of enough accuracy,
realizing the transformation from manual mode to computeraided and information management and heightening the
efficiency in data capture and processing and mapping and
management, which was a good base for information search of
relics and the simulation and recurrence of archaeological
environment and spatial analysis and decision.
The article mainly includes the general researching framework
and finished work and the next researching conceiving and
planning.
2. GENERAL FRAMEWORK
3.2 Spatial data model for field archaeology
The general researching framework of virtual field archaeology
environment involved two important parts: the data integration
and knowledge base. The framework shows as the following
figure 1.
As we all know, data model is the core and key of GIS as well
as the basis of all functions implement. The author studied 3D
data acquisition and data model and implement in field
archaeology.
The focal points of this study included mainly:
(1)General modelling: put forward the general data model of
field archaeology GIS(FAGIS) — — hybrid 3D spatial data
model based on facial model and volumetric model.
(2)Object-oriented modelling: Design and expound the two
models on the basis of the demand, character, method of model,
logical model and data structure, which were described with
hybrid model of facial model and volumetric model. The
integration method and steps of the stratum model and
geographical object model, and modelling method and relative
technology also were discussed and completed.
(3)Implement: based on DEMs and QTPV and TIN and TEN,
the integration method of the stratum model and geographical
object model of field archaeology had been built and
instantiated partially.
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users could cooperate to work in an internet & wireless-lan
communicating environment.
4. THE NEXT RESEARCHING CONCEIVING AND
PLANNING
4.1 Spatial data integration of field archaeology
5. CONCLUSIONS
Orienting the phase and time sequence of field archaeology,
shape of vestige and researching region, the relative integration
methods would be studied which involving kinds of special
means on archaeological grading from field investigation to plot
digging (single one to multi-plot)then to single site and to
multi-site. All the above research is based on the integration of
digging data and basic geological data. The research includes
concretely: The edit and update of data on time sequence of
field archaeology; data integration for a whole vestige; building
an integrative environment by the update and integration
continually for a bigger archaeological scene, namely,
considering the field archaeological knowledge and integrating
the new excavated scenes for building a bigger archaeological
scene in a uniform spatial reference frame, and the bigger scene
is useful for the more macroscopically analysis for
archaeologists.
The implement of virtual field archaeology environment
involves many key techniques, which are the emphasis of the
author resolving. The available achievement had proved in
increasing the field working efficiency and level, and the
implement of virtual field archaeology environment was sure to
provide a potent researching platform for field archaeology.
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4.2 Knowledge base of field archaeology
The knowledge relevant to field archaeology includes other
relative subjects (for example, geology and folklore), common
and peculiar rules in different regions and environment (for
example, plain archaeology and desert archaeology), concrete
archaeological means and principles and especial cases and so
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and knowledge during the field archaeology and standardize
and formalize them (the knowledge shows as data, text, graphic,
image video and audio and so on), build responding knowledge
base of field archaeology based on knowledge base models
fitting to describe and represent them. The comparative
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built from part to whole by continual improvement and
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framework: establishment of database (model spatial-database
and knowledge attribute-base), basic platform for visualization,
functions customization of space representation and analysis, in
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Prof. Lu Guo-nian Key Lab. of Virtual Geographical
Environment, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal
University
Prof. Pei An-ping. Social Development School, Nanjing Normal
University
MS. Zhou Jie-yu. Key Lab. of Virtual Geographical
Environment, Ministry of Education, Nanjing Normal
University
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